All pressers for the Cleveland Browns ultimately reach the quarterback competition, and how Shedeur Sanders is battling it in his second NFL season. But in a recent presser, he’d finally had enough of fielding the same question, saying, ‘Next question. I answered this question 1,000 times.” That story took another turn when Sanders appeared before the media on August 12th to apologize for his earlier comments. But when that apology landed on the Nightcap podcast, NFL legends Shannon Sharpe, Chad Johnson, and NBA legend Joe Johnson put Cleveland media on notice.

“I think this kid, Unc and Ocho, always says the right things. Always,” Joe said on the Nightcap podcast. “And it’s like they always try to get him to viral by asking him rhetorical questions, but he never takes the bait. We keep it 100, he’s the only damn reason the Browns [are] relevant right now… I watch the Browns to see Shedeur. I’m just going to keep it 100, I don’t watch them for no other day.”

Even Shannon Sharpe agreed to this take, noting that it’s Shedeur’s name that has kept the Browns in media circulation throughout this offseason.

“Every else watch them for that reason, too, outside of Cleveland,” Sharpe said. “Now, Cleveland watch them because they’re the Browns, but everybody outside of Cleveland watch them because of Shedeur.”

The narratives around Shedeur Sanders have been unstoppable ever since he slid down to the fifth round in the 2025 Draft. Even when he finally took the field in Week 10 – after the Browns had exhausted every other option – the questions around his football acumen never went away. Under new head coach Todd Monken this offseason, he finally got a clean slate and began to edge out Deshaun Watson in the QB competition.

But throughout the offseason, Sanders has faced the same question in every media availability. And every time, he has responded by taking a team-first approach and focusing on his own improvement on the field. And just like Joe and Sharpe, Chad Johnson has lauded Shedeur for how he has handled everything.

“It’s the media, especially in Cleveland, they’re looking for the next click. That’s it,” he said on the show. “They’re looking for the next viral moment. It’s the media’s job to get him to say anything and trip him up… Not only do they want him to fail, they are looking to divide. They know it’s a team game. They know it’s a healthy competition. Somebody has to start, somebody has to be the backup. But they’re going to ask the right questions, the questions that make him uncomfortable that he doesn’t want to answer.

“And he’s very media savvy. Obviously, his father has already had him prepared for these moments, especially like this. He knows how to do it. And he probably hit a point where he got a little frustrated, and instead of answering anything before he said the wrong thing, ‘You know what? Next question. I’m not even going to answer it.’ Because they’re trying to trip him up and get him to say something that they can hold on to and twist his words up.”

Now, even though Shedeur apologized to the media, in the same presser he also noted that he refrained from answering the question because he knew his words would be taken out of proportion, as has been the case all offseason.

“I feel drained when I express myself to people and places and cameras when it’s not received and taken the right way, or like we’re trying to divide the team or anything like that,” Sanders said. “That’s where I was trying to preserve my energy from going in depth with a lot of things.”

Sanders showed flashes of brilliance last season, even though he struggled as a starter. This year, he has received equal opportunity to steal the spotlight alongside Deshaun Watson and has tried to do so in the first-team reps he got – a luxury he wasn’t given in his rookie year. Now, with the preseason underway, his quest for the starting job has begun in earnest.

For a while, Sanders looked sharp. He opened the day with a solid 3-of-4 passing drive that covered 63 yards through the air. The Browns couldn’t finish it off after coming up short on fourth down in the red zone, but Sanders had done his part. Then things started to fall apart. 

On his next two series, the 24-year-old managed just one completion each time. His final throw really summed up the afternoon. He tried to find Malachi Corley but sailed the ball a few yards over his receiver, allowing Beanie Bishop to make what looked like a pretty routine interception for the Chicago Bears. What started as a rather promising outing quickly turned frustrating for him.

His final stat line told the story better than anyone. 6-of-11 passing for 79 yards, one interception, and three rushing yards on two carries.